October Wedding at Metropolis Ballroom

Deep orange and purple colors, vintage style, and candle-lit mason jars created a lovely setting at the Metropolis Ballroom in Arlington Heights, Illinois for Bailey and Dan's October wedding. The couple were inspired by autumn farmers markets for the overall feel for their wedding.

There were several unique and personal touches by the bride and groom, as well as their family members, for their Jewish wedding details.  Some highlights included adorable personalized seed packets that doubled as escort cards and guest favors, which were strung up with mini clothespins. The laundry line theme was also carried over in the cocktail room were a wall was strung with their childhood photos. Lots of mason jars that the couple collected were used as candle holders for the ceremony aisle and reception tables. The beautiful ceremony chuppah was constructed by the groom's father, and draped with the bride's family heirloom embroidered top.  Small pumpkins and fall foliage were also nice touches used throughout the reception decor.

The bride's spectacular vintage style dress and veil were custom creations by local designer Dame Couture.  She also wore lovely accessories including a hairpin was from Blue Bow Millinery, great-grandmother's earrings, maternal grandmother's accent ring, and Mariana shoes by GOLC.  The groom wore a gray Kenneth Cole suit, and bridesmaids dresses were majestic purple Alfred Sung gowns from Dessy Group.  For their wedding rings Bailey and Dan chose conflict free diamonds and recycled platinum from Brilliant Earth.  The bride's handkerchief and groom's fedora hat were also fantastic accents to express their style.

Event professionals: Rabbi Max Weiss, Beauty on Call, Sprout florist

Wedding Creativo Photography

Jewish Wedding at University Club of Chicago

Natalie and Paul celebrated an intimate Jewish wedding at the University Club of Chicago. Her high-fashion corset dress was stunning, and we enjoyed strolling Michigan Ave. with this lovely couple taking in the sights of the tango dancers and chess players. Their private elegant ceremony and reception was accented with gold and champagne hues, with floral accents in fuchsia and pinks, and unique silver bowl style centerpieces.

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Trisha and Scott Wedding at Chicago Cancer Survivors Garden

You couldn't get more cozy than Trisha and Scott's small wedding held at their home and in their back yard.  And oh yeah, their back yard is Chicago's Millennium Park and Grant Park.

We had a great time with this fun-loving couple, and from their first playful moments and all throughout the day, the theme for their wedding was fun fun fun!  We admired the bride's "Pippa-esque" gown, vibrant orange and yellow flora, and the groom's navy blue suit with orange striped tie.

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The happy couple escorted each other, arm-in-arm, to their ceremony at the Cancer Survivors Garden in Chicago's Grant Park.  This beautiful outdoor area is a gem among Chicago Park District's special event spaces.

There, they met their closest family and friends for what was possibly the smallest wedding gathering we've ever photographed.  It was very cute with everyone, including the bride and groom's dogs, circled around the couple while they exchanged vows.

After the kiss, it was hi-fives for all around, and a first dance that literally swept the bride off her feet!

Needless to say, the portrait time for this wedding was very relaxed and accomplished rather quickly, even with different variations with everyone. One of the portraits included everyone attending the wedding ceremony in one group shot!

Then it was off to their private reception at their home, which had absolutely stunning views of the city from their high-rise balcony, where more guests joined the couple for their evening celebration.

The bride changed into a lovely cocktail dress, and nearly committed cake-a-cide!  Then after the reception dinner the gang headed out to the after-party at one of their favorite bars.

Congratulations Trisha and Scott, and thanks for showing everyone that even a small wedding can be a big celebration!

Melissa and Aaron's wedding at Galleria Marchetti

How could anyone turn down a marriage proposal while sharing ice-cream?  Well, that's exactly how clever groom Aaron sweet-talked his bride Melissa when he popped the question at Jeni's, one of their favorite ice-cream shops near the groom's family home in Columbus, Ohio.  He actually had the shop put a sign in the ice-cream cooler window with a special "flavor" to hopefully catch his sweetheart's attention with a proposal written in the description!  The couple used this moment as inspiration for their wedding theme and table cards, which were all named after many famous ice-cream shops that they have visited.

Morning preparations and "first-see" were at the InterContinental hotel on Michigan Ave.  The early afternoon wedding was held in the outdoor courtyard at Galleria Marchetti, with reception under the adjoining pavilion.  The wedding was administered by Rabbi Bruce Elder as Moeller Music performed the ceremonial score. 

The couple's dog was all smiles as he trotted down the isle to start the processional. The bridesmaids dresses by Alfred Sung provided a purple punch of color before Melissa made her grand entrance in a Mauel Mota Pronovias gown.   Brittany from Robert Jeffery Salon gave the bride a breezy summer look with a stunning hairpin to pull back the brides lovely locks, and compliment her contemporary laid back summer style.

At the reception the guests were treated to ice-cream sundaes and cupcakes by Lucious Layers, sweet floral arrangements by Mille Fiori, and lively music from Style Matters dj Spencer.

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Inspired Finds:

Angry Ice Cream Cufflinks            Ice Cream Cone Holder                  Cake Pops

   

Dennis and Lisa's wedding at the Wit Hotel

A romance was sparked for Lisa and Dennis when they first met at the Chicago Board of Trade.  Who knew soybeans, cattle and wheat could be an impetus for such a great match?  The bride and groom thought of a unique way to represent their start by having their reception table cards named after common futures traded in the stock exchange, such as gold, soybeans, and oil.  But that was just one of many spectacular details at this downtown Chicago summer wedding.

Bridal preparations took place at the couple's home, which was buzzing with excitement from the company of bridal party and loved ones, and also their adorable pets, a Sphinx cat and English Bulldog.  The four-footers even got in on some fun portraits we took with L & D on their rooftop deck. 

Lisa found her perfect gown at Priscilla of Boston, a breathtaking Melissa Sweet design of silk organza with a diagonally draped bodice and delicate fabric rose petals cascading down to the hemline.  Her veil was a favorite of ours this year, a shoulder-length custom-made design by Ms. Couture.   Badgley Mischka satin heels perfectly matched the dress with a fabric flower detail on the vamp.  The baubles were brilliant diamonds with flower-shaped earings, a trio of bangles, and a magnificent three-stone, pear-shape, platinum diamond engagement ring from Windy City Diamonds.

An illustration of the landmark Board of Trade building and a custom monogram was incorporated into their stationary, programs and menus by Clementine Ink + Paper.   We also stopped by the BOT for bridal party pictures before heading to theWit Hotel for their ceremony and reception.

The ketubah signing took place first, which is the signing of the marriage contract that is an integral part of Jewish weddings, and it is tradition to have the document made artistically.  Well, Lisa and Dennis' ketubah by artist Danny Azoulay was like nothing we've ever seen before with amazing lace-work all around the sides. The ceremony followed in the ballroom under an elegant white lace chuppah.

Cocktails were held at Roof on theWit, which you might have guessed is the hotel's cool roof-top bar.  During that time the ballroom was transformed into an all-white reception, with white orchid and rose centerpieces to match the bride's bouquet, with floral and decor design by Heffernan-Morgan.   The event was coordinated by Engaging Events by Ali, who made sure every last detail was perfectly in place, from the white feathers draped from the ceiling to the spotlight on the wonderfully detailed cake by Take the Cake.

The couple celebrated their families' heritages, with shots of vodka for the bride's Russian side, and from the groom's family guests were given Chinese luck charms as favors.   The guests packed the dance floor with Peter Hennes Orchestra on the bandstand.  And, we have to say that our own Pazzi Photo Booth was a big hit with everyone revealing their goofy side for fun pictures with our crazy booth props.

You can also see the highlights video made by the wonderful folks at I Do Flims.

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We are also exited that Dennis and Lisa's wedding was featured in the December 2010 issue of Chicago Social Brides.

Jewish Wedding at Chicago Cultural Center

A man dressed like a chicken walks out into a wedding reception....it sounds like the opening line of a joke, but that's exactly what the best man did at this wedding.  You see, the groom Matthew and his brother Jeremiah (the best man) come from the family of foodies behind Corky's Catering and Cork Special Events.  So, of course they treated their guests to a dazzling display of diverse gourmet delights.

But, let's not jump ahead of ourselves.  Tabitha, who is an accomplished dancer, was a statuesque and elegant bride in her Cosmo Bella gown that she spotted at Wedding Belles in Barrington.  Her stunning heels were from Chicago's own James Ciccotti Bridal Shoes and Accessories, which specializes in elegant silk and satin designs made in Italy.  She accessorized with vintage pearl and diamond earings, a decorative hair comb by Elen Henderson, and wedding rings by Ken Bien Jewelry.  The bridesmaids wore designs from Vineyard Collection, while the gentlemen were outfitted by Morris and Sons.

The family gathered pre-event at the InterContinental Hotel for preparations and portraits before proceeding to the Chicago Cultural Center for the ceremony and reception.  Sue Primer coordinated the celebration with flowers by Richard Remiard Event Design, cake from Oak Mill Bakery and entertainment by Chicago Catz.  

A touching moment came when a special song, written by the groom's father, was played during the reception.  It was recorded by family friend and Chicago rock-and-roll hero Jim Peterik, who also treated the guests by performing his hit songs "Vehicle" and "Eye of the Tiger."

However, I think it was brother Jeremiah delivering the best man's toast in a chicken suit that stole the show on this night under the Tiffany dome.

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